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William the Great (French: Guillaume le Grand; 969 - 31 January 1030) w a s d u k e o f Aquitaine (as William V) and count of Poitou (as William II o r I I I ) f r om 990 until his death. Upon the death of the emperor Henry II , h e w a s o f fered the kingdom of Italy but declined to contest the title a g a i n s t Conrad II.
Life
He was the son and successor of William IV by his wife Emma of Blois, d a u g h t er of Theobald I of Blois.[1] He seems to have taken after his for m i d a b le mother, who ruled Aquitaine as regent until 1004. He was a frie n d t o B i s hop Fulbert of Chartres, who found in him another Maecenas, an d f o u n d ed a cathedral school at Poitiers. He himself was very well educ at e d , a c o llector of books, and turned the prosperous court of Aquitain e i n t o t h e learning centre of Southern France.
Though a cultivated prince, he was a failure in the field. He called up o n h i s s u zerain Robert II of France to aid in subduing his vassal, Boso o f L a M a r c he. Initially unsuccessful, Boso was eventually chased from th e d u c h y . He had to contain Vikings who continually threatened his coast . I n 1 0 0 6 , he was defeated by Viking invaders. He lost the Loudunais an d M i r e b alais to Fulk Nerra, count of Anjou. He had to give up Confolens , R u f f e c, and Chabanais to compensate William II of Angoulême, but Fulb er t n e g o tiated a treaty (1020) outlining the reciprocal obligations of v a s s a l a nd suzerain.
However, his court was a centre of artistic endeavour and he its surest p a t r o n . His piety and culture brought peace to his vast territories, and h e t r i e d t o stem the tide of feudal warfare then destroying the unity of m a n y E u r opean nations by supporting the current Peace and Truce of God m o v e m e nts initiated by Pope and Church. He founded Maillezais Abbey (101 0 ) a n d B o urgueil Abbey. After a fire in Poitier, he rebuilt the cathedr a l a n d m a ny other religious structures. He travelled widely in Europe, a n n u a l ly visiting Rome or Spain as a pilgrim. Everywhere he was greeted w i t h r o y al pomp. His court was of an international flavour, receiving am b a s s a dors from the Emperor Henry II, Alfonso V of León, Canute the Grea t , a n d e v en his suzerain, Robert of France.
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969 - 1030 (61 years)
